


Toy Soldiers

by Queenzie



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Blood and Violence, Canon Universe, F/M, Fluff and Angst, I tried writing something different, Murder, Not Canon Compliant, Out of Character, Requited Love, Teen Romance, Yandere, possible manga spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:28:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23936881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queenzie/pseuds/Queenzie
Summary: Bertholdt finally gets the courage to tell Annie his feelings for her. However, the way she takes this new information isn't what he expected.
Relationships: Bertolt Hoover/Annie Leonhart, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Reiner Braun & Bertolt Hoover & Annie Leonhart
Comments: 14
Kudos: 64





	1. Chapter 1

“Is that really all you’ve got?”

Annie had Bertholdt pinned face down to the dirt, his face smashed into the dirt with her elbow. Today she had been assigned Bertholdt as her training partner and the boy was nothing but submissive to her. Honestly, it was getting on her nerves. 

She let out a sigh and stood up from her spot, tossing the wooden knife on the ground next to him. “Stop taking it easy on me,” she said as she watched him get to his feet, “I’m not some fragile little girl.”

She was right. Bertholdt was looking at the girl who completely beat Reiner up to a pulp years ago when they were kids. Her father had gone as far as to cripple himself when he taught her how to fight. She could easily kill someone if she wanted to. 

“I-I know you’re not,” he nervously responded, “It’s just…”

“Just what?” she cut him off and came at him, easily knocking him to the ground once again. She pointed the fake knife towards his throat, waiting for his answer. Her stare sent shivers down his spine. 

“You’re... very-” he squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath, preparing himself for the worst, “-pretty.” 

Annie raised her eyebrows at his response, then narrowed her eyes. “Haha, so funny,” she replied and pressed the fake knife into his throat, “That’s not gonna work on me. Just beat me at this stupid training so we can get it over with.” 

Bertholdt opened his eyes and met her cold gaze, “But it’s not-” 

“Take the knife,” she demanded, ignoring his words. 

Bertholdt swallowed the saliva that was built up in his throat and let out a small sigh, then swiftly grabbed the knife from her grasp and flipped her over onto her back. Instead of threatening her with the knife, he threw it to the side and pinned both of her hands to the ground beside her. “It- it wasn’t a joke!” he said. 

Annie just stared up at him, shocked at how assertive he was being for once. Bertholdt averted his gaze as he felt himself begin to sweat more. “I said it because…” he trailed off, muttering up the courage to voice his feelings, “Because I’ve always really liked you.” 

When he heard no response he looked down and was surprised at the sight. Her face was completely red with embarrassment. Instead of speaking, Annie pushed him off from her and quickly got to her feet. Once she brushed the dirt off from her clothes she walked away from him, keeping her head down as she did so in hopes that no one else could see her flushed face. 

Bertholdt just stayed on the ground and watched as she left, a sad expression on his face. 


	2. Chapter 2

The next day Annie skipped training. Slacking wasn’t an uncommon activity for her, but this time it was different. She wasn’t doing it to pass time, she was doing it to avoid him. 

After what he told her yesterday, she couldn’t shake the thought from her mind. 

Come to think of it, it was obvious that he had some type of feeling towards her. She had just never paid close enough attention. Not only did he stare at her quite often, but when they were kids he always attempted to get her attention. 

* * *

_“Maybe I can be hired as a servant,” Annie proposed as her, Reiner and Bertholdt worked with wood inside the walls. “Or try to seduce one of the men and marry myself off?”_

_“Y-You can’t do that!” Bertholdt immediately protested._

_Annie looked at him and tucked her bangs behind her ear, “Yeah, you’re right. They wouldn't want to taint their family with our ‘devils blood’.” she said, then added, “I don’t have the charm to make men fall for me anyways…”_

_“That’s not true!” Bertholdt replied, sweat dripping from his forehead._

_Annie raised an eyebrow. “Uh, thanks?” was all she said. She wasn’t really sure how to respond to his statement._

* * *

Remembering this moment brought the faintest blush to her cheeks. She never realized the meaning behind those words. 

No boy had ever really shown much interest in her. Her cold approach usually drew them away. But not Bertholdt. Regardless of how she acted towards him, he continued to stay by her side. He’s seen her darkest moments and yet still cared for her. 

Annie let out a sigh and rested her head against the wall. Instead of her usual walk around the training grounds, she had been hiding in the women’s barracks to be alone with her thoughts. 

Playing soldier wasn’t something she wanted to do, but maybe it would give her the chance to see things a little differently. 


	3. Chapter 3

Training wasn’t the only thing Annie skipped. She also skipped breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bertholdt easily noticed this.

“I think I’m going to go check on Annie,” Bertholdt mentioned to Reiner from across the dinner table. 

Reiner put his cup down and met his friend’s worried gaze, “I’m sure she’s fine.”

“But she’s been missing all day,” Bertholdt responded, “It’s unusual, even for her. And besides…” he trailed off, lowering his eyes.

“What? Did something happen between you two?” Reiner asked. 

Bertholdt thought before he spoke. If he told Reiner the truth about yesterday, he would never hear the end of it. The entire 104th squad would be talking about it by morning. “Not really, we just sparred,” he lied. 

Reiner looked at Bertholdt for a moment and laughed. “Bet she kicked your ass,” he said and took another drink from his cup.

Bertholdt added a little fake laugh too, “Of course she did.”

“The other day she literally flipped me and Eren on our backs in less than ten seconds. It was honestly humiliating,” Reiner said, watching as Bertholdt smiled. “You know, you really suck at hiding stuff.”

“H-Huh?” Bertholdt asked, “What do you mean?” 

“It’s so obvious,” Reiner replied, then lowered his voice, “You stare way too much.”

“Stare? I-I don’t stare,” Bertholdt nervously defended himself, feeling his face growing hot with embarrassment. 

“Yeah, okay,” Reiner sarcastically responded and let out a sigh, “Just go check on her.”

Bertholdt nodded and stood up from his spot, making his way towards the door. Once he was outside, he began scanning the area to find Annie. 

After five minutes of searching later, he finally found her. She had been sitting on the steps to the women’s barracks, her elbows resting on her knees so she could prop her chin up with her hands. Annie stood up when she heard the snap of a branch and looked around. 

“Oh, it’s you,” Annie said once she could make out his face, “Are you stalking me or something?”

Bertholdt could feel a bead of sweat trickle down the side of his face, “N-No, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just coming to check on you since you skipped basically the entire day.”

Annie sat back down on the steps and looked up at the sky above her. “You noticed?” she asked, placing her hands behind her to support herself. 

Bertholdt rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “Of course,” he replied. When Annie didn’t say anything, he let out a sigh, “I’m sorry… for saying that all of a sudden yesterday. I didn’t mean to make it awkward between us.”

Annie turned her head the slightest bit to look at him and met his gaze, then quickly looked away again, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Who said it was awkward? I’ve always been comfortable around you,” she said. 

“R-Really?” Bertholdt asked as he raised his eyebrows, surprised by her words. 

“Yeah,” Annie answered, “More than Reiner, anyways. Me and him don’t get along. With you, I can just be myself, and not worry about anything.”

This brought a smile to the boys lips. “I’m glad I make you feel that way,” he replied. 

The two of them were silent for a few moments before Annie decided to speak up again. “Are you just gonna stand there?” 

Bertholdt watched as she scooted over, leaving him an open space to sit next to her. They hadn’t shared a conversation this long in a good while. He didn’t hesitate for a second to take her offer and carefully sat down, making sure not to invade her space and give her some room. 

Seeing him act like this made Annie let out the faintest laugh. “I don't bite.” 

Bertholdt looked at her with a surprised expression, quickly picking up on the irony in her sentence. “You know what I mean,” she replied, catching his look. He glanced down at the ground, thinking about the subject. 

Annie noticed him deep in thought and went to speak again, but she was interrupted by the sound of the dining hall doors opening. The rest of the squad had finished eating. 

Letting out a sigh, Annie stood up from her spot and made her way up the stairs. She took one look back at him, “See you later.” 

With that, she disappeared into the building, leaving Bertholdt to think about the meaning behind her words. 


	4. Chapter 4

After dinner, several girls had stayed up late to talk about boys. 

“I wish someone looked at me the way Jean looks at Mikasa,” Mina giggled. 

Mikasa just looked at the other girl funny. “What do you mean?” 

“He’s totally head over heels for you,” Mina answered, “Marco says he’s never seen Jean look at anyone that way.” 

“Does... Eren ever look at me that way?” Mikasa asked. 

“Honestly, that kid usually just looks upset all the time,” Ymir spoke up. Mikasa’s expression dulled her response. 

“What about you, Ymir?” Mina asked, looking at her in curiosity. 

Ymir laughed at her question. “It would be a cold day in Hell before a guy could earn my interest,” she answered. 

“Well, what about girls?” Mina asked yet another question. 

This made Ymir’s face turn red with embarrassment. “What’s with all the questions, huh? It’s none of your business,” she said before turning her head to avoid everyone’s stare. All the girls giggled at this. 

Annie just laid down on her bed, her back turned to them, acting like she was asleep. She cringed when she heard her name. 

“What about you, Annie?” Mina questioned innocently. 

After a moment of debating, she responded. “I don’t have the time for such pointless shit as relationships.” 

“Oh come on, there’s got to be someone you at least care about a little,” Mina replied. 

“Nope,” Annie coldly responded.

“Hm,” Mina hummed, “What about Reiner? I’ve seen you two interact a few times.” 

“No,” Annie instantly replied. She could write an entire book on why that would never work.

“Eren?” Mina guessed. Mikasa sent a glare in Annie’s direction as she waited for her answer. 

“Not my type,” Annie said. 

Mina thought for a moment before speaking again. “What about Bertholdt? He seems sweet.”

Annie could feel her heart start to beat a little faster and her face getting hot. “What about you, Mina? Who do you like?” 

All the girls giggled again as they watched Mina blush. “I think she likes Marco,” Sasha spoke up, “I mean she called his freckles cute the other-”

“Wha- I did not!” Mina instantly defended herself, her cheeks a bright shade of red.

Annie let out a small sigh, thankful that the attention was no longer on her. She carefully got up and made her way out of the cabin, going unnoticed by the other girls. 

Outside she saw the backside of Bertholdt as he headed into the woods. This struck her curiosity, so she decided to catch up and follow him. 

The only guidance she had was the light from his lantern ahead of her, so she trusted her instincts and was led up a trail. 

Finally, Bertholdt reached his destination and Annie was right behind him. When he heard her footsteps get louder he turned around and scanned the area, only to find her smaller figure emerge from the woods. “Annie…?” 

He wasn’t going to lie, it was a little disturbing that she had followed him without saying a word. But, he wasn’t going to mention that. 

“I saw you sneaking away, so I got curious,” she responded. “All the girls were being annoying, so I needed a break.”

“Oh,” he simply responded, then noticed her bare arms. Her usual hoodie was replaced with an oversized t-shirt. “Are you cold?” 

Annie just shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to admit that she was. Regardless, Bertholdt took his cloak off and draped it over her shoulders. Annie felt her heart beat a little faster for the second time today. Not only did the cloak provide warmth to her, but she had a warm feeling in her stomach as well. 

“I-I usually stay warm,” Bertholdt spoke up, “So you can have it.”

Annie pulled the cloak closer to her, “Thanks.”

Both of them turned their attention to the lake that was out in front of them. The moonlight's reflection danced on the water. 

“How’d you find this place?” Annie asked, then added another question, “Or rather, what brought you here?” 

Bertholdt glanced over at her, then back out at the lake. “Eren begged Reiner and I to help him with his ODM gear,” Bertholdt answered, “We came out here to give him tips so the other trainees wouldn’t pick on him. But now, I just come out here to think is all.”

“Hm,” Annie responded and sat herself down in the dew covered grass, wrapping her arms around her legs. “It’s a nice spot, I might just steal it.” 

Bertholdt looked at her again in surprise. Annie met his gaze and let out a faint laugh. “What I’m implying is we should come here more often. Like our own little hang out spot.”

“Oh,” Bertholdt responded. Her laugh caused him to blush the tiniest bit. “Y-Yeah, that sounds nice.”

Annie stretched out her arms and laid downon the ground, gazing up at the twinkling stars above them. Bertholdt hesitated at first but finally decided to sit himself down next to her. 

“You know, our lives kind of suck,” Annie suddenly mentioned. Bertholdt just looked at her with a puzzled expression. When she saw this she continued. “We only have a few years left to live,” she added, “And if we don’t complete our mission they’ll just feed us to someone else.” 

“Yeah…” Bertholdt replied, his expression quickly turning gloomy. 

“Honestly,” Annie started, rolling over to look at him, “I think we should just run away. Forget the mission.”

Bertholdt’s eyebrows raised at her words. “But, we could save humanity,” he added. 

“Fuck this world,” Annie responded and rolled back over on her back, “Eldians, Marleyeans, they’re both shit. It’s all pointless.” 

Bertholdt sat there in thought for a moment. “What would you do if you ran away?” he decided to ask. 

“Not sure,” she honestly responded, “But I'd go far away from here.” 

The two of them looked up at the sky in silence for a few moments before Annie spoke up again. “Thanks for listening to me rant.” 

Bertholdt glanced at her and smiled, “Of course.”

Annie blushed at his smile and quickly looked away, trying to hide her face. She would never admit it but she enjoyed seeing him smile. Even when they were kids, she always had thought it was cute. She knew the reason why he didn’t smile often was because of who he was. It didn’t take a detective to know that Bertholdt had a constant war in his mind. That’s why he was always lost in thought. 

“Hey,” Annie spoke up, gaining the boys attention easily. 

“Hm?” Bertholdt hummed. 

“Our lives are depressingly short. We’re both mass-murderers. We’re the only ones who completely understand each other,” Annie responded, “I’ve actually been thinking about that a lot lately.” 

Bertholdt looked at her, sweat slowly beginning to form one his forehead. He’d never heard her speak like this before. A lot of thoughts actually went through that little head of hers. 

Annie stood up from her spot and looked  
down at him. “Let’s make this worthwhile.”

He watched as she offered him a hand, and he took it. His hands were a little clammy but she didn’t mind it. After helping him to his feet he stopped her before she could walk off. 

“A-Are you saying that…” Bertholdt stuttered before Annie cut him off. 

“That I like you?” she asked as she tucked her bangs behind her ear. Bertholdt meekly nodded, and Annie half-smiled at his response. 

“Who knows,” was all she said as she looked up at the stars once more. 


	5. Chapter 5

A few days before the trainees' graduation ceremony, the city of Trost was filled with Titans, due to Reiner, Annie, and Bertholdt's deception. The three cadets were close to breaking down the next wall, until the unexpected turn of events. It turned out that Eren Jaeger was holding the power of Titan shifting abilities.

"What's this all about?"

Annie asked this as she landed on the roof. She looked at Reiner and Bertholdt with a puzzled expression. Marco was under Reiner, his arm twisted painfully behind his back.

"Annie, help me!" Marco cried, tears in his eyes. "Reiner's acting crazy!"

Reiner looked at Annie, a cold look in his eyes, "He overhead our conversation. We can't let him live."

Annie widened her eyes and furrowed her brows, "You're shitting me... you asshole," she muttered. Sweat was beading on her forehead.

"Huh...?" Marco gasped, putting the pieces together.

"A Titan's coming this way!" Bertholdt announced.

Reiner picked Marco up forcefully, using his strong grip to hold his arms back to prevent him from moving, "Annie, take his gear," he demanded.

Annie took a step back, "Why do I have to?!"

"You risked your life for Connie earlier. Do you feel attached to this filthy race now or something?" Reiner threw at her, "If I'm wrong, then prove it to us now. Prove to us that you're a warrior!"

Annie gritted her teeth, looking at Marco with an unsettling expression on her face.

"Annie!" Reiner yelled at her, growing impatient by the second.

"I'll do it," Bertholdt decided, stepping up and swiftly unstrapped Marco's gear, then tossing it in the window beside them, leaving the boy defenseless.

"Why?!" Marco desperately pleaded, tears streaming down his face. Bertholdt just closed his eyes and turned around, trying to ignore him. Those pleas would haunt him forever.

The three of them quickly fled the scene, using their gear to land on a roof a few meters away. Reiner watched in horror as the Titan began to devour Marco's squirming body.

"Why... is Marco getting eaten?" Reiner questioned, his face full of confusion. Annie and Bertholdt just exchanged glances after hearing this, both concerned for their friend's mental health.

* * *

"What's the plan now?" Bertholdt asked, peering at Reiner.

The three of them had met at the lake to discuss their new plan. Since they discovered that Eren Jaeger possessed the Founding Titan, they couldn't go through with their original intentions.

"You and I will join the Survey Corps to watch Eren. Annie will join the Military Police so it doesn't look suspicious. We will give her information as we learn new things about him so we can plan on taking him back home with us," Reiner decided, looking at the two of them. Bertholdt's expression saddened as he snuck a glance at Annie before she caught him.

Reiner noticed this and let out a sigh. "I'll be right back, I have to... piss," he lied, deciding to give them a few minutes to talk alone.

Bertholdt and Annie stood there in silence for a few moments before Annie decided to speak up. "Thank you for earlier," she said, meeting his sad gaze.

"It was my fault, and Reiner shouldn't have pressured you like that anyways," Bertholdt replied, his eyes fixed on the ground now. "Are you joining the Military Police?"

"I suppose I have to," Annie replied. Bertholdt took a breath and leaned down to grab her hand gently, holding it in his own as if it were made of glass.

"I promise you that no matter what happens, we won't leave you alone. If anything happens I will come save you. When this mission is over we will go home together. A-Annie, I-" he said but then was cut off as Annie stood on her tip toes and planted a kiss on his lips.

She pulled away with a faint smile and intertwined their fingers, looking up at him. He was completely stunned.

"You worry too much," she said just above a whisper.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, all Bertholdt could think about was the kiss. The memory played over and over in his head like a broken record. 

Annie  _ actually _ kissed him.  _ On the lips.  _

Even though it was Bertholdt’s dream, he started to wonder why she was moving so fast. It was only a few weeks ago that Bertholdt even implied to her that he possessed feelings for her.  _ So, why did she kiss him like that?  _ He assumed it had to do with her little speech the other night. 

“What’s got you all flustered?” Reiner asked before yawning as he got out of their shared bed. The other boys were sleeping. Bertholdt was still lying down, his pillow clutched in his arms. It was their last day in the barracks of the training grounds before they moved on to the Survey Corps. 

Bertholdt nervously cleared his throat. “Nothing, just had a… really good dream,” he lied and let out a fake laugh. 

Reiner raised an eyebrow in suspicion. “Um, okay then,” he said and started to get ready for the day. Bertholdt let out a sigh of relief before doing the same. 

“Wait… When did  _ you _ start having good dreams.” Bertholdt jumped. Reiner looked back at him with suspicion.

“Yeah... I...”

“That’s great,” Reiner said, then slapped him on the back. “You’re finally conquering the nightmares. Now I don’t have to suffer through your awkward sleeping patterns any longer.” 

“Yeah,” Bertholdt nervously laughed.

“What about you, Jean?” 

The loud question from Connie easily caught both Reiner and Bertholdt's attention. They turned their heads to see the group of guys conversating. 

“Mikasa, obviously,” Jean answered and scoffed. “She’s a goddess. If only she weren’t so tied to Eren, I’d make her mine in a heartbeat.” 

“Armin?” 

The blond boy turned his head meekly to look at Connie, a blush spreading to his cheeks as he answered. “I think Annie is pretty…” 

“Annie? Did you hit your head? She could kill you,” Jean retorted. 

“That doesn’t mean she’s a bad person,” Armin sweetly defended. Bertholdt let out a short chuckle at the remark as he listened to the conversation. 

“What’s funny?” Reiner asked, raising an eyebrow at the other boy. 

“Huh?” Bertholdt questioned as he glanced at Reiner. “Oh, nothing. I just thought of something funny, that’s all.”

Reiner gave him a suspicious stare before joining the other boy's conversation. 

While the other boys chatted, Bertholdt began to pack up his belongings. Today he would join the Survey Corps, and they would move forward with their mission. The reminder saddened him. 

_ They didn’t have time to spend on relationships, so why was he worried about it? _

* * *

“Annie, it’s for you.” 

The girl raised an eyebrow as her roommate handed her an envelope. “Thanks, Hitch,” Annie spoke as she waited on the other girl to leave before opening the envelope. Bertholdt had already written to her? That was fast. She had only been in the Military Police for a few days now. 

_ Dear Annie, _

_ How is life inside the walls? It’s been pretty boring here. Captain Levi has been making us clean our new headquarters. Reiner hates it as well. Ymir won’t let him near Christa, so he’s been following me and Connie around the entire time telling awful jokes. By the way, it seems Armin has a little crush on you. Looks like I have competition. Anyways, Reiner is coming back to the room, so I have to end my letter here. I hope you are doing well.  _

_ Sincerely yours, _

_ Bertholdt  _

Annie stared down at the letter, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  _ Armin had a crush on her?  _

“What language is that?” 

Annie quickly folded the paper at the sound of Hitch’s voice. She glared back at the other girl. “Why are you so nosy?” 

She’d been so caught up in the letter that she didn’t hear her roommate come back inside. 

Hitch raised her eyebrows defensively before backing away. “Sorry I asked,” she said before grabbing her jacket and leaving once again. 

Once she was alone, Annie folded the paper up and discarded it before making a decision. 

_ If Bertholdt wasn’t sure about his place in her heart, she would just have to prove it to him. Even if that meant eliminating a few boys from the picture.  _


End file.
